Baltimore quickly went to work on its bullpen when the offseason got underway, adding Andrew Kittredge in a trade with the Cubs. The veteran righty would likely be the club’s closer if the season started today, but president of baseball operations Mike Elias still has plenty of time to add to the bullpen. Elias spoke to reporters last week, including Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports, and provided some insight on the plans for the bullpen.
“We’re trying to make an external addition there, so working on that right now,” Elias said. “I can’t say things with 100 percent certainty, but we’re making every effort to make external additions to the bullpen and in particular an experienced ninth-inning guy if we can.”
Elias specifically citing the need for a closer makes sense given the injury timeline for Felix Bautista. The 30-year-old had surgery in mid-August to repair a torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder. He’s expected to miss 12 months. If he sticks to that recovery outlook, Bautista would likely only be able to contribute in the final month of the season.
Bautista took over as Baltimore’s closer to finish the 2022 season. The Orioles dealt Jorge Lopez to the Twins for a package that included Yennier Cano and Cade Povich, who would both become big-league assets. Bautista recorded 15 saves that year, his first season at the MLB level. The big righty blossomed into an elite closer in 2023, securing 33 saves with a pristine 1.48 ERA to earn his first All-Star appearance.
Unfortunately, Elias has prior experience replacing Bautista after a major arm problem. The closer missed all of 2024 with a UCL injury. In that offseason, Elias chose to add a future Hall of Famer on a short deal. Baltimore’s lone major league signing ahead of the 2024 campaign was Craig Kimbrel on a one-year, $13MM pact. The results were good, until they weren’t. Kimbrel notched 19 saves with a 2.37 ERA over the first three months of the season. An ugly five-outing stretch in July that saw Kimbrel allow seven earned runs and blow two saves ended up costing him the gig. Seranthony Dominguez served in the closer’s role from early August through the end of the season.
Elias was much more active in terms of big-league adds this past offseason, mostly for veterans on short deals. Baltimore fleshed out the backend of the rotation through one-year agreements with Charlie Morton and Tomoyuki Sugano. The club added part-time bats Gary Sánchez, Ramón Laureano, and Dylan Carlson for a year apiece. Tyler O’Neill was the only free agent to earn a multi-year agreement, signing for three years and $49.5MM.
And of course, there was Kittredge, who joined the team on a one-year, $10MM deal. Baltimore didn’t have pressing needs in the bullpen heading into 2025, with Bautista healthy and Dominguez, Cano, and 2024 trade deadline acquisition Gregory Soto behind him. The unit thinned out considerably as the season progressed and Baltimore fell out of contention. Kittredge, Dominguez, and Soto were shipped out at the trade deadline. Bryan Baker was traded to Tampa Bay in early July. Cionel Perez was designated for assignment in May. Cano and Keegan Akin were the only relievers from the Opening Day roster to end the season on the team.
The good news for Elias and company is that the free agent market is loaded with impactful options. Edwin Diaz, Devin Williams, Robert Suarez, and Ryan Helsley are the headliners. Pete Fairbanks, Luke Weaver, and Emilio Pagan have strong recent track records. Kirby Yates, Shawn Armstrong, and Kyle Finnegan are decent veteran choices. Baltimore could also reunite with Soto or Dominguez, who are back on the market.
If Elias wants to go the future Hall of Famer route again, Kenley Jansen would fit the bill. The righty didn’t miss many bats in his lone season with the Angels, but put up 29 saves with a 2.59 ERA. The 38-year-old could likely be had on a relatively inexpensive deal, and he’ll be a decent piece to move at the trade deadline if Baltimore’s season doesn’t go as planned.
Photo courtesy of Mitch Stringer, Imagn Images
He also hung a sign outside the Yard…..Apply Within!!!!
Orioles are signing Diaz. Book it.
/s
Excellent that leaves the better Diaz for the reds
Kirby Yates, come on down!
He said experienced, not effective.
Kenley Jansen makes the most sense as he can likely be had on a 1 year deal, the rest are all likely to seek/receive multi-year deals. Fairbanks is a guy i could see them targeting though, Finnegan too